10 Major Disadvantages of Technology [2022 Technology Disadvantages] — Wise, Healthy 'n' Wealthy (2023)

Stop for a minute and think about what life would be like without the wheel, the compass, or the engine.

Now imagine our modern world without telephones, light bulbs, or (gasp!) the internet.

There’s no doubt that these inventions revolutionised society for the better.

We can say with confidence that new technology always brings significant advantages.

But does that mean there are no disadvantages of technology to worry about?

Not necessarily.

There are 2 sides to every story, so although it certainly improves our lives, technology can also create new problems we didn’t have before.

If you’ve never paused to think about whether there’s a disadvantage of technology, it’s time to consider the other side of the equation!

Keep reading to discover the main technology disadvantages in our personal lives, our social lives, and society as a whole.

Interested in the cons of technology? You might also like these…

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• Advantages and Disadvantages of Television

• Advantages and Disadvantages of Mobile Phones

• Advantages and Disadvantages of Robots

• Advantages of the Internet

Disadvantages of Technology in Our Personal Lives

Let’s start by listing some ways technology could interfere with our personal lives, our good habits, and our careers.

1. Procrastination & Distraction

How many times do you look at your phone every day? 20 times? 50 times?

If you’re an average American, you’re checking your phone a mind-boggling 344 times per day. (That’s once every four minutes, by the way.)

To be fair, Britons don’t fare much better. In 2021, we spent an average of 4.8 hours per day using mobile apps. That’s a full third of our waking hours!

What’s the point? While our phones can be incredibly useful, they can also distract us from more important things like working, studying, or caring for our families.

It’s also all too easy to open a chat app, launch a mobile game, or catch up on the latest episode of your favourite show. Unless you have an incredible amount of willpower (which, let’s face it, most of us don’t), that can open the door to procrastination and missed deadlines.

2. Digital Dependence

As a society, we waste a tremendous amount of time using the latest gadgets and devices.

But the problem goes much deeper than a missed deadline or a sleepless night.

We’re now so reliant on our digital devices that we would struggle to function (or might even be unable to function) without them.

Think of all the information stored on your cell phone — contact information, personal photos, passwords, etc. If you lost your phone right now, who would you be able to call? How many phone numbers and addresses do you have memorised?

GPS and Sat Nav are incredibly useful, but overusing them can also make us incredibly, well…stupid. The news is literally full of stories of people who, without using Google Maps, can’t give directions to someone asking about a landmark in plain sight!

Even worse, GPS can lead us or our vehicles down the wrong road and into a dangerous location, putting our lives at risk.

It’s just one example of how being over-reliant on gadgets is one of the biggest disadvantages of technology.

3. Technology Addiction

Closely related to the last point is the subject of digital addiction. This falls into one of five main categories:

• Computer or gaming addiction

• Cybersex and pornography addiction

• Compulsive information seeking

• Online relationship addiction

• Compulsive online spending or gambling

Like other types of addiction, technology addiction can have a serious impact on someone’s daily life.

Overuse can jeopardise studies, jobs, finances, and relationships, especially if the individual begins lying or trying to “cover up” how much time they spend on their addiction.

When we spend too much time on electronic devices, it can also lead to a host of physical, mental, and emotional health problems.

Headaches, eye strain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and weight changes are common results, along with anxiety, depression, dishonesty, and mood swings.

Technology Disadvantages to Our Social Lives

What effect could technology have on our social lives? Let’s consider some ways technology could wreak havoc on our relationships with our friends, families, and employers.

4. Loneliness & Social Isolation

Email, text messaging, and the internet all became commercialised in 1995. Facebook came along in 2004, and the first iPhone rolled out in 2007.

With so many ways to stay in touch, we should all feel happier and more connected to our friends and family than ever before…right?

Experts say otherwise. A 2017 study found a direct correlation between loneliness and social media usage.

Young adults who spent more time on social media were three times more likely to feel socially isolated than those who used it less.

As one psychologist stated, “Those who are substituting online relationships for real relationships don’t see a reduction in loneliness and may actually see a deterioration” in how they think and feel.

What do you think? Are feelings of loneliness a serious cause for concern?

Well, consider this: Loneliness costs UK employers £2.5 billion each year due to lower productivity, sickness absence, and higher turnover rates. This is because chronic loneliness contributes to an array of physical and mental health issues.

5. Job Insecurity & Loss

To be sure, there are some major advantages of technology when it comes to our jobs.

For example, at the height of the pandemic, 60% of adults in the UK were working from home — something that would have been impossible just a few decades ago.

But along with these perks comes some major disadvantages of technology as well.

As technology advances, human workers are worth less and less. Companies can install a chatbot or build an automated robot that does the job of 10 human employees — often faster, more efficiently, and at a lower cost.

Employers no longer need to hire skilled workers within their own country and pay high salaries.

It’s now possible to outsource “cheap” labour in the form of remote workers from developing countries to perform essentially the same tasks for a fraction of the price.

This is great news for growing businesses, but it’s terrible news for an employee when their skill set becomes redundant and they lose their job.

Unfortunately, this will become a reality for many of us, as experts predict that robots will take over 20 million jobs by the year 2030.

One example is driving and delivery jobs, which will become redundant when self-driving vehicles go mainstream.

6. Plagiarism & Piracy

Modern technology means we literally have a world of information at our fingertips.

Anything we want to know or find is just a few short clicks away.

Of course, there are advantages to having all these digital media readily available, but it comes with some serious technology disadvantages as well.

For example, students no longer have to “learn” anything if they don’t want to. They can copy and paste everything from maths formulas to homework assignments to lengthy research papers and present the work as their own.

The same is true for all types of intellectual property. It’s increasingly difficult for creative people to earn a living because once their work goes online, it’s basically “up for grabs” to anyone who wants it.

It’s virtually impossible (not to mention expensive and legally challenging) to track down every thief or pirate who steals a creative project.

The entertainment industries have also learned that it’s impossible to control the spread of digital media.

Copyright laws are difficult to enforce, as tech-savvy individuals can always find ways to copy, reproduce, and distribute music and movies.

The Disadvantage of Technology for Society

The disadvantages of technology aren’t just personal. Let’s see how technology is affecting human society as a whole, impacting everything from communication to security to business relations.

7. Privacy Concerns & Security Threats

Every bit of personal information about us exists on the web. Our bank details, our vehicle registration, our medical records, our personal passwords — it’s all right there.

With all the advancements in cybersecurity, such as two-factor authentication and password encryptors, we should feel safe storing our information online.

Sadly, that’s not the reality. The typical computer is attacked once every 39 seconds, or 2,244 times every day. Anti-virus programs do a good job of stopping some of these attacks, but millions of people fall prey to phishing scams and direct hacks every year.

In the US, one in four people has either had personal information stolen by hackers or been the victim of identity theft.

Meanwhile, in the first half of 2021 alone, UK businesses lost £1.3 billion to cybercrimes and online fraud.

The numbers speak for themselves: Despite our best efforts, our personal data is never 100% “safe” in the digital world.

8. Depersonalised Warfare & Mass Destruction

A few hundred years ago, soldiers rode into battle on horses and attacked their enemies with swords, arrows, or handguns. Fast-forward to WWII, where over 200,000 people died from the two atomic bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

War has always been an atrocity — that’s nothing new — but technology has taken the “human” element out of warfare. Governments can deploy weapons from anywhere in the world and launch an attack without having a single soldier on the ground.

Military drones have essentially turned warfare into a video game. From a safe distance thousands of miles away, a controller can attack and kill people using a pilotless drone aircraft.

Meanwhile, the military uses satellite imagery to monitor enemy forces. Intercontinental missiles have the ability to follow streets and hit specific landmarks in a foreign land.

Aside from the emotional disconnect of remote warfare, another disadvantage of technology is the impact on the environment. Nuclear plants, detonated bombs, and other advanced technology wreak havoc on the ecosystem and can even render areas uninhabitable.

9. Damage to the Environment

A nuclear explosion during wartime is an extreme example of technology harming the environment. But most of the damage that occurs to our planet comes from benign, everyday uses of technology.

Most machines and devices contain at least some parts that are toxic or non-biodegradable.

For example, if you don’t recycle a basic battery, it will end up in a landfill. Over time, it will corrode, leaching toxic chemicals into the soil and water. Lithium batteries can even start fires that burn for years underground!

Almost every type of technology also needs a power source to operate. True, society is moving towards cleaner, greener energy sources. But for now, we’re burning through the planet’s supply of fossil fuels to keep our technology operating.

10. Fake Personas & Anonymity

Behind a digital wall, anyone can become anything they want to be. Or, at the very least, they can appear to be anything they want to be.

Modern technology makes it easy for users to hide their true identities. Without the fear of getting caught, this makes them take bigger risks and engage in more dangerous behaviours.

One example is the rise of cyberstalking. A UK man recently made headlines with 10 arrests for cyberstalking 62 different women over a period of 11 years.

How did he get away with it for so long? Simple: He would pretend to be a friendly young woman offering inside information about the victim’s life.

Behind the cloak of the internet, cyberbullying is also a serious disadvantage of technology. 37% of kids in the UK have been victims of cyberbullying, while 60% admit they’ve witnessed abusive online behaviour directed at one of their peers.

Even more disturbing, paedophiles can use technology to hide their identities and prey on unsuspecting children. Reports estimate that 500,000 predators go online daily and over 80% of sex crimes begin on social media.

Will We Overcome These Technological Disadvantages?

It’s safe to say that the majority of technological advances have had positive results.

Among other things, we can communicate more effectively, share global events in a flash, address medical issues more effectively, and so on and so forth!

However, we can’t overlook the problems that new technology introduces into society either.

By staying aware of the disadvantages of technology, we stand a better chance of identifying and addressing any small problems before they become big ones.

Did you enjoy this discussion about technology disadvantages? Well, keep browsing this blog for more advice on becoming healthier, wealthier, and wiser!

This post about the disadvantages of the internet could be a good place to start!